Dead or Alive at its fullest
First off, DOA4 is not the best looking xbox 360 game in 2005, that award still goes to PGR3. DOA4 has the best cutscenes and the awesome CGI animated videos for each character, but its in game graphics leave something to be desired. The graphics are bright, colorful and the blurr effects rock but they character models are blocky with square hair and backgrounds that are both strikingly well conceived and poorly animated. I found that most levels, the levels with animals especially were well planned and have excellent interaction, but the animals themselves are low rez and blocky with moveable legs but otherwise their whole being stands totally still when they move. It feels a little bit undercooked.
Sound is the games #1 blunder. Ever attack be it a kick, punch or thow gives the same sound that sounds like a hard smack. Character voices are mostly just short screeches and cheesy catchphrases in Japanese. Overall, its fallen behind in both of its in game technical aspects (graphics and sound)
That being said, DOA4 is a highly addictive fighter that rewards skill, punishes button mashers and can be played for hours on end, especially online. Mode for mode, Punch for Punch, DOA4 is the most complete and decked out fighter yet, which fits its next gen status perfectly.
Offline you have your basic story, versus, tag team, time attack and survival modes, all of which are fun and reward with achievements for any skill level provided you can simply finish the challenge. The story mode is a brawls of intense fighting that starts out very easy and ends up annoyingly hard. In my first few days with this game, even on the easiest difficulty setting (normal, easy and very easy were scrapped), I found myself angered and kicked around and bullied by the games unfair last boss and its super AI that can autocountert attacked. This boss fight is in almost every characters story mode, and I could barely stand it. Despite the one bosses unusual difficulty, the other enemies are challenging and they evolve to your attacks. Like punching low? they block low. High kick? they will start to counter high. The AI are smarter than the previous DOA games and buttion mashing will just get you repeatedly owned. Precision timing and proper combos are the way to go, and practice almost always improves skill. The game is excellent at rewarding dilligence.
Online is where the game truly shines. It has a full tournament and freeplay style combat arena where you can fight in a lag free zone for achievements. Its fast its furious and its over xbox live, what more could you want out of an online fighter? DOA4 has it all.
When all is said and done, DOA4 is a unique experience that is very well rounded and feels complete. Its a must for fans of either fighters or DOA, but its also a great conventional fighter and if you need something to replace COD2 that you have worn out, DOA4 is the one to get.